Heineken has signed on as the title sponsor of the ATP Grass
Tournament in Rossmalen, Holland. The tournament will be renamed
the Heineken Trophy in '96 (Heineken)....Michael Hiestand calls
Jose Cuervo's sponsorship of the ESPN2-televised flag football
game between former NFL stars "an attempt around traditional TV
bans on liquor ads" (USA TODAY, 1/23)....NEWSDAY's Steve Zipay
notes the NHL's marketing deal with Nike "illustrates the
contrast" between the "savvy" NHL and "baseball's business
minds." Zipay notes that MLB "signed long-term deals with dozens
of smaller licensees and essentially blocked Nike from more
lucrative segments" (NEWSDAY, 1/23)....The NHL officially
announced that five teams will introduce "Third Jerseys," with
the first debuting January 27 (NHL)....QVC will sponsor "Geoff
Bodine Racing" for the '96 NASCAR Winston Cup Racing Series (AD
AGE ONLINE, 1/23)....Frank Thomas and Cecil Fielder are on a
Reebok-sponsored tour of Asia promoting baseball. The two will
visit Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong (Reebok)....The U.S. Men's and
Women's Dream Teams will play in Indianapolis in their final
exhibitions before the '96 Games (INDIANAPOLIS STAR-NEWS,
1/23)....Goodyear stock was up 2 5/8 to 46 1/8 yesterday after
"the company seized fourth quarter earning in the range of 94-97
cents, well above last year's 90 cents a share" ("NBR," PBS,
1/22).... "Inside Stuff" featured Knicks coach Don Nelson and his
new look, supplied by designer Tommy Hilfiger. Hilfiger: "New
York is demanding in many ways, so being here puts him under a
magnifying glass. If he's going to be under a magnifying glass,
he might as well look good" ("Inside Stuff," 1/22).
